Circuit pattern inspection method and its apparatus

• US 20050109938A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Funatsu, Ryuichi, Miyai, Hiroshi, Ninomiya, Taku, Nara, Yasuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,071,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/311
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95607 using a comparative method
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/2251 using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2817 Pattern inspection

Abstract

A circuit pattern inspection method and apparatus capable of readily setting an optimum threshold value while it is confirmed that a defect detected when a defect is checked can be detected at what threshold value and capable of forming a recipe easily. A circuit pattern inspection of irradiating an electron beam to a specimen formed with a circuit pattern on a surface thereof, forming an inspection image and a reference image in accordance with a secondary electron of a reflected electron from the specimen, and acquiring an abnormal portion from a difference between the inspection image and the reference image, wherein a plurality of characteristic quantities of the abnormal portion are obtained from an image of the abnormal portion, and the abnormal portion is selectively displayed by changing an inspection threshold value virtually set for the characteristic quantities.

Claims

1. A circuit pattern inspection method of irradiating an electron beam to a specimen formed with a circuit pattern on a surface thereof, forming an inspection image and a reference image in accordance with a secondary electron of a reflected electron from the specimen, and acquiring an abnormal portion from a difference between the inspection image and the reference image, the method comprising steps of:

obtaining a plurality of characteristic quantities of said abnormal portion from an image of said abnormal portion;

storing the plurality of characteristic quantities of said abnormal portion, the inspection image and the reference image of said abnormal portion; and

selectively displaying said abnormal portion by changing an inspection threshold value virtually set for said characteristic quantities.

2. A circuit pattern inspection method according to claim 1, wherein said inspection threshold value has at least two inspection threshold values.

3. A circuit pattern inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the inspection image and the reference image of said abnormal portion, and one or a plurality of images of abnormal portions indicating at least a shape of said abnormal portion are displayed at a time.

4. A circuit pattern inspection apparatus for irradiating an electron beam to a specimen formed with a circuit pattern on a surface thereof, forming an inspection image and a reference image in accordance with a secondary electron of a reflected electron from the specimen, and acquiring an abnormal portion from a difference between the inspection image and the reference image, the apparatus comprising:

a characteristic quantity calculation unit of obtaining a plurality of characteristic quantities of said abnormal portion from an image of said abnormal portion;

a memory for storing the plurality of characteristic quantities of said abnormal portion, the inspection image and the reference image of said abnormal portion; and

a display unit for selectively displaying said abnormal portion by changing an inspection threshold value virtually set for said characteristic quantities.

5. A circuit pattern inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said inspection threshold value has at least two inspection threshold values.

6. A circuit pattern inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inspection image and the reference image of said abnormal portion, and one or a plurality of images of abnormal portions indicating at least a shape of said abnormal portion are displayed at a time.